Ettore Tito (Castellammare di Stabia 1859 - Venice 1941)

One of the most famous painters of the traditional figurative movement, Tito was born in Castellamare di Stabia (Naples) in 1859 and he trained at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, at the school of Pompeo Molmenti. At the outset, he followed the example of Giacomo Favretto, with themes inspired by popular scenes of life in Venice. His painting is simple, illustrative, but endowed with a brilliant touch of colour.  A very productive artist, he also dedicated himself to mythological subjects representing complex visions with undines, centaurs, nymphs and tritons. One of the most famous examples is Il Baccanale of 1906 in the Modern Art Gallery of Milan. Later on, he developed a taste for a more decorative style following in the footsteps of the great Venetian masters of the 18th century, in particular Tiepolo, including several very large compositions, animated by vivid colours and neo-Baroque dynamism. Typical of his sweeping, colourful style is the fresco representing the glory of Venice (Gloria di Venezia) painted in 1926 for the ceiling of the Venice Pavilion in the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome. He measured himself against Tiepolo, repainting the Scalzi arch in Venice, in place of the great fresco Il trasporto della Santa Casa di Loreto by the Venetian master, which had been destroyed by an Austrian bomb in 1915. His clear landscapes and intense lake views were also much appreciated. He produced sculptures as well as paintings following the example of the classical tradition. He died in Venice in 1941.